Hexayurt project/Solar: Difference between revisions

Substitute for national grid or heavyweight solar with:

• 1 80 watt panel per 40 adults,
• connected to a 15 minute AA battery charger (i.e. the new gen rayovacs)

These items connected into a "power pillar" - a walk-up charging station where people come with their empty NIMH batteries, drop them into the charger, wait 15 minutes, then take them home. Assuming a 10 hour charging day, that services 40 sets of batteries.

Appliances for this system include:

• lighting: cold cathode fluroescent lights (see: http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/dbright.htm ), LED headlamps, etc.
• communication: cell phone chargers, FRS-type radios, other battery powered radios etc.
• entertainment: pretty much any general purpose device can be found in a AA configuration, like televisions (http://www.amazon.com/Casio-TV-980-2-3-Portable-Color/dp/B0000CGCCM)
• wood gassification stove (see below)

What won't work:

Heavy-draw mains appliances (toasters, video projectors)

Financial model:

• $400 for the panel, $100 for the charger and pillar. ($12.50 per adult)
• $10 for 8 fast charge AA batteries for each adult.
• $10 or less for each lighting unit. ($32.50 total)

$50 per adult should comfortably buy everything required for basic electrical services. A bare bones system (lighting and stoves only) would be less than $20 per household.